The fabric of kings and college professors finally lightens up.

For many generations, Harris Tweed, beloved product of Scotland's Outer Hebrides, was favored by British empire builders, Highland deerstalkers, hard-partying Ivy undergrads — even Dirty Harry. But by the turn of the millennium a shift toward lighter menswear fabrics slowed production to a trickle, and when an aging tycoon took over the largest Harris Tweed mill, in 2006, and cut the number of tone-flecked patterns from 8,000 to a measly four, it looked as if the storied fabric might disappear for good. Thanks to some plucky investors, however, more looms are up and running, and the trademarked tweed is adapting to the times, with lighter weights and vintage finishes. Traditional purveyors — Savile Row, J.Crew, Ralph Lauren, and Paul Stuart — have taken note, as have more fashion-forward labels such as Rag & Bone and Robert Geller. "We've made the brand relevant to a new audience," says Mark Hogarth, creative director for Harris Tweed Hebrides, one of the two mills that jump-started the comeback. "Until a few years ago we were still most closely associated with Miss Marple."